Jeff has been involved in aerospace journalism since the mid 1990s. Prior to joining Aviation Week, Jeff served as managing editor of Launchspace magazine and the International Space Industry Report. He has been the editor and chief of Aviation Week's Aerospace Daily & Defense Report since 2007 and has been a regular contributor to Aviation Week magazine. He received his B.A. from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
Raytheon says it will deliver the second of two payloads for the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) in July, to support the launch of the first two STSS test satellites next year. Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor for STSS, a planned constellation of satellites for tracking missiles and re-entry vehicles through the boost, midcourse and terminal phases of flight. STSS previously was known as the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) Low.
Lockheed Martin has begun testing a new type of vehicle armor designed to protect against both improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and armor-piercing bullets that the company hopes will cost as little as 1/10th as much as current ceramic armors. U.S. troops in Iraq often experience coordinated attacks by insurgents that employ an IED blast followed by armor-piercing sniper fire or other projectiles, according to Lockheed Martin.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, chair of the Senate Commerce subcommittee that oversees NASA, said May 23 that she would support more money being added to the fiscal 2007 appropriation for the agency. Congress' recent five-year re-authorization bill for NASA approved a topline FY '07 budget of about $1.1 billion more than President Bush's $16.8 billion request.
